Tagged: google

Facebook and Google have both been hit with lawsuits claiming that the Silicon Valley giants secretly track their users’ locations against their will and use the information to pad its advertising business. The class action complaint against Facebook, which was filed by Brett Heeger last Friday in San Francisco federal court, said the social network tracks its users even after they’ve opted out of...

Following a massive data breach first reported on by The Wall Street Journal, Google announced today that it is shutting down its social network Google+ for consumers. The company finally admitted that Google+ never received the broad adoption or engagement with users that it had hoped for — according to a blog post, 90 percent of Google+ user sessions last for less than five...

If you’re a Gmail and Dropbox user, keeping all your files in one place is about to get a lot easier thanks to a new Dropbox add-on for Gmail. In March, Dropbox announced a new partnership with Google Cloud in a bid to centralize content, secure collaboration, and make for more effective communication. In other words, allow Google services users to seamlessly store and...

Google is finally getting serious about blocking annoying autoplay videos that start with the sound blaring. The next update to Chrome (version 66) will include changes to autoplay videos that mean the browser will only play them automatically if the sound isn’t playing by default, or if you click and interact with the site, or have previously “shown an interest in media on the...

Google is slowly pulling back the curtains on its next-gen Android P release. Yesterday, we got our first glimpse at a work-in-progress, developer-focused preview of the software — and today, we’re getting a closer look at what exactly is new when it comes to Android P and the ever-evolving subject of Android security. Here’s the inside scoop on what you can expect: More controlled...

It’s Mario Time! Beloved gaming character Mario is coming to Google Maps, thanks to a partnership between Google and Nintendo ahead of Mario Day, March 10. (MAR10…get it, Mario?) In addition to the various deals and sales on Nintendo games, the mustachioed plumber will also make an appearance in Google Maps’ navigation, if you opt in to have Mario accompany you on your journey....

When a new version of Android comes out, it’s usually a big deal. There are new features, a bunch of design changes, and sometimes new phones to go along with it. But when a new version of Android launched on six new phones this week, it didn’t seem like a big deal at all, and it was quickly overshadowed by announcements like the Galaxy...

Apple has confirmed that it uses Google’s public cloud to store data for its iCloud services in its latest version of the iOS Security Guide last month, as spotted by CNBC. Reports that Apple relied on Google’s cloud services surfaced in 2016 but were previously never confirmed. Apple had previously used remote data storage systems provided by Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Apple’s...

Amazon’s Alexa assistant was crowned “winner” of CES, the Computer Electronics Show, last year. While Amazon didn’t have a splashy presence at the show — though there was a bizarrely large Echo speaker in one hallway — the fact that so many gadget makers were pledging to bake Alexa into their products became the dominant story of CES. This year, Google, which has a...

Many people realize that smartphones track their locations. But what if you actively turn off location services, haven’t used any apps, and haven’t even inserted a carrier SIM card? Even if you take all of those precautions, phones running Android software gather data about your location and send it back to Google when they’re connected to the internet, a Quartz investigation has revealed. Since...